The Science Behind Vegetable Gardens: Tips For Growing Healthy Meals

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Vegetable gardening has become a popular pastime, allowing people to grow their own food for improved well-being and cost savings. Understanding the science behind vegetable gardening can help you grow healthy meals.

The Science of a Healthy Vegetable Garden: How To Ensure the Healthiest Produce

The Science Behind Vegetable Gardens: Tips for Growing Healthy Meals

Whether you’re a homeowner, hobbyist, or farmer, you’ll find a lot of benefits in vegetable gardening, especially when it comes to your health. With the right approach, anyone can have a healthy, thriving garden they can be proud of. However, getting it right can be challenging, especially when you’re first starting out. By learning a few best practices, you’ll have access to all the fresh produce you can eat.

Soil Health Matters

The soil you plant in is an essential factor. It’s where the plants get their nutrients, water, and support. It’s also the home of millions of microbes responsible for breaking down organic matter into usable nutrients. When the soil is healthy, it can help plants grow robust, healthy, and nutrient rich. On the other hand, unhealthy soil can lead to poor plant growth and may even affect food quality.

Companion Planting

Companion planting is a science-based gardening technique that involves planting two or more single-species plants to promote their growth. This technique has become widespread because it repels pests and diseases, increases yields, improves flavor, and strengthens plant growth. For instance, planting marigolds between your vegetable garden beds can repel nematodes and other pests that may harm your vegetables.

Plant Spacing and Crop Rotation

Plant spacing and crop rotation are two essential practices in vegetable gardening that can improve plant health and yield. Plant spacing involves putting the right distance between plants to promote airflow and sunlight penetration, which is essential for plant growth. Crop rotation involves growing different crops in the same field to disrupt the life cycles of pests and diseases, improving soil health and boosting plant growth. For example, rotating beans and corn can prevent pests such as the corn borer and bean beetle.

Proper Watering and Fertilization

Proper watering and fertilization are key to a successful vegetable garden. For optimal growth, plants need adequate amounts of water and nutrients, which improve plant health, yields, and quality. Too much water can lead to fungal diseases, while too little can lead to stunted plant growth. Similarly, over-fertilization can lead to poor plant growth and even environmental pollution.

Harvesting and Storage

Harvesting and storage are the final stages of vegetable gardening. Harvesting your vegetables at the peak of their ripeness is essential to getting the best flavor and nutrition. Proper storage techniques such as refrigeration, canning, and freezing can preserve the nutrients and prolong the shelf lives of your vegetables. Preparing your vegetable garden for winter is essential to ensuring it’s ready to go come spring.

If you want to learn more about canning, grab the Canning Jump Start Guide! It’s a visual guide that shares canning equipment checklists for traditional water bath and steam canning, a canning season planner, recipes to get you started, an elevation adjustment guide, a stovetop guide (what pot goes where!), and more. You’ll be canning with confidence, the modern way!

Enjoy Fresh Produce Year Round

Vegetable gardening is a science-based practice that benefits homeowners, hobbyists, and farmers alike. It can help you grow fresh, healthy, nutrient-rich produce you can enjoy all year round. By understanding the science behind vegetable gardening, you can grow healthy meals and take control of your food’s quality and nutrition. So why not start a vegetable garden today and enjoy the many benefits of growing your own food?

Healthy Tomato Sauce Recipe for Canning

Healthy Tomato Sauce Recipe Free Recipe Card

Homemade Low Point Tomato Sauce

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

This simple recipe will produce a delicious marinara sauce ready for canning!

Ingredients

12 lbs tomatoes, halved or quartered, cores removed
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 tsp chopped garlic, prechopped is fine
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp Mrs Wages Citric Acid, added to each pint jar upon lid application

Instructions

Prepare your water bath canning pot or your steam canner. Fill the water bath canning pot with water, add 7 pint jars, and bring to a boil OR fill the steam canner to fill line and turn on low with the 7 pint jars nearby on a towel-covered countertop.
Blend the tomatoes. Start on the "food chop" setting, and then move to a medium blend setting, for up to two minutes or until the visible skin pieces in the blender are smaller than half an inch.
Combine olive oil, garlic, and onion in the bottom of a preserving pan at medium-low heat and cook till onion is soft. Add salt and pepper.
Pour the blended tomato smoothie on top of the cooked garlic & onion mixture and stir to combine. Repeat the blending process until all tomatoes are blended and added.
5 Cook on medium heat until sauce is reduced, darker red in color, about 1 hour.
Ladle into jars one at a time, maintain 1/2 inch headspace, add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to each jar, apply lids and rings, and either submerge into the boiling water of the boiling water bath with a jar lifter OR set gently on the rack of the steam canner.
Process for 25 minutes PLUS 5 minutes for every 1000 ft above sea level. Remove from heat, rest jars carefully on towel covered countertop. Label cooled jars and store for up to 1 year. Yields 8-10 pints.